Wednesday

Sep 26, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 26, 2012 at 11:30 PM

NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. -- Put the ball in the hole.

That's Zach Miller's role with the Beaver Falls boys basketball team. During the Tigers' march to the WPIAL Class AA championship last year, Miller would provide a spark off the bench with his long-distance shooting.

Put the ball in the hole.

That's Zach Miller's expectation when he competes with the Beaver Falls golf team. Though he's been one of the better players in the area the past couple years, his golf game has received far less recognition than his work with the basketball team.

Perhaps that will change a bit now.

Miller, playing on his home course at Fox Run, shot a 72 to capture the MAC Championship by one stroke over more heralded players like Hopewell's Brett Pompeani and Blackhawk's Jesse Phlegar. His effort also helped the Tigers place third in the team standings.

Both feats -- an individual champion and a team placement -- are believed to be firsts for the Tigers' golf program.

Blackhawk, which got a 77 from Bryce Egger and an 80 from Matt Urgitus, captured the team championship. But the dreary afternoon belonged to Miller and the Tigers, both decided underdogs.

Competing against bigger schools like Moon Area, Montour and West Allegheny normally doesn't leave a program like Beaver Falls or a player like Miller much chance to make an impact at the MAC. Those conventions were washed away in Wednesday's periodic rains.

"On my home course, I feel pretty confident playing," said Miller, who, in the first match of the season, set a school record with a 31 on the front nine at Fox Run. "It doesn't matter where I'm playing most of the time, but my home course does make it an advantage for me."

Miller started his round on No. 5 and immediately carded a birdie. He grinded through the next 10 holes before making three birdies in his final seven holes to finish at even par -- 33 on the front and 39 on the back.

He allowed that playing against the better competition elevated his game.

"Most of the No. 1 (players in my section) are usually pretty good, but its always nice to play against the Pompeanis, the Neshannocks," said Miller. "It's always nice to play against someone who you know usually shoots the same or better than you."

It looked as though Pompeani and Phlegar might tie for top honors with their matching 73s until Miller came in with his 72. Phlegar missed a 5-foot birdie putt on his final hole, but, otherwise, he was satisfied with his effort on a course he'd never played before.

"I just knew I wanted to come out here and hit the ball straight and sort of figure out the course as I went," he said.

Pompeani, too, would like to have had a victory but was nonetheless pleased with his effort.

"Just a couple loose shots here and there and a couple short missed putts that I couldn't roll in, but I had a pretty solid round," he said. "I felt like my game was really good and felt like I could play well, and I did."

Blackhawk's team victory provided a bit of redemption for Egger. Of the Cougars' four players who competed in the Class AAA individual semifinals, he was the only one not to advance to next week's WPIAL championship.

Egger carded a 77, earning him a tie for seventh and a medal, and his round included an eagle on the par-5 fifth.

"I was glad I did OK today and helped my team," he said. "We just keep it straight and make a bunch of pars. No bad holes, no big mistakes. Just consistent."

Beaver Falls' players, meanwhile, were just as thrilled with their third-place finish. Cole Krut shot an 84, and Nick Horvath added an 88, which gave the Tigers a team total of 244. That was good enough to edge two other schools by a stroke.

Put the ball in the hole. Zach Miller proved he can do it on the golf course as well as on the basketball court, and his secret to both is the same.

"I concentrate, but I also try to have fun," he said. "It's always about having fun when you're playing a sport. If I'm out here, I always try to keep a smile on my face, make people laugh, make it so you're not uptight and stressed about things."